WEBVTT 00:03.799 --> 00:07.659 Uh , so we're here at CyberShield 2025 00:07.900 --> 00:10.122 out of Virginia Beach , uh , located at 00:10.122 --> 00:12.609 the Army Reserve Base here . Um , 00:12.770 --> 00:14.699 gathered here , you have the Army 00:14.699 --> 00:17.032 National Guard , the Air National Guard , 00:17.032 --> 00:19.199 the Armored reserve , as well as other 00:19.199 --> 00:21.310 military components and international 00:21.310 --> 00:23.690 partners . And for about two weeks , uh , 00:23.700 --> 00:26.969 we do training , hands-on on red team , 00:27.379 --> 00:29.379 blue team , as well as white sail . 00:30.040 --> 00:32.750 Essentially it's like capture flag but 00:32.750 --> 00:35.509 in a cyber aspect . So there's red team 00:35.509 --> 00:37.590 and there's blue team . Red team is 00:37.590 --> 00:40.189 offensive like attacking and blue team 00:40.189 --> 00:42.189 we're the shield . We're the people 00:42.189 --> 00:44.356 that are gonna defend our systems from 00:44.356 --> 00:47.909 a real world actor . So the 00:47.909 --> 00:50.389 strategic objective of this exercise is 00:50.389 --> 00:52.869 to improve and enhance our defensive 00:52.869 --> 00:55.630 and offensive cyber capabilities . We 00:55.630 --> 00:58.029 have been using realistic training and 00:58.029 --> 01:00.270 simulations to prepare us to defend 01:00.549 --> 01:03.319 against evolving cyber threats . This 01:03.319 --> 01:05.486 training will allow us to stay mission 01:05.486 --> 01:08.660 ready and respond to all threat actors 01:08.660 --> 01:10.879 all the way from the lowest or all the 01:10.879 --> 01:14.459 way up to a nation threat actor . It's 01:14.459 --> 01:16.459 my first time here . One of the big 01:16.459 --> 01:18.515 skills I'm looking to develop is the 01:18.515 --> 01:20.626 stress management of this environment 01:20.626 --> 01:23.940 we're able to actually simulate real 01:23.940 --> 01:27.440 world attack in a blue team setting , 01:27.900 --> 01:30.339 so I'm very excited to be able to kind 01:30.339 --> 01:33.500 of get thrown into the fire . We want 01:33.500 --> 01:35.667 to be ready to help the governor if he 01:35.667 --> 01:37.611 asks us to help with any emergency 01:37.900 --> 01:40.178 events that are happening in our state . 01:40.209 --> 01:43.019 And if he calls on the Tennessee Air 01:43.019 --> 01:45.819 National Guard to conduct any type of 01:45.819 --> 01:48.500 defensive cyber operations or assess 01:48.500 --> 01:51.819 the environment of a company or a 01:51.819 --> 01:54.059 school that's being attacked , we can 01:54.059 --> 01:57.360 provide that additional skill set . The 01:57.370 --> 01:59.800 most important aspect of this exercise , 01:59.849 --> 02:02.080 in my opinion , is the hands-on 02:02.150 --> 02:03.983 training that we received here , 02:03.983 --> 02:06.449 especially for the blue team . The Blue 02:06.449 --> 02:08.610 team represents what we do day in and 02:08.610 --> 02:12.410 day out as a cyber or even base com 02:12.410 --> 02:14.369 back at home station . Uh , we're 02:14.369 --> 02:16.591 protecting and defending our networks , 02:16.591 --> 02:18.647 and that's what we're learning to do 02:18.647 --> 02:22.520 here . So this exercise 02:22.520 --> 02:24.742 reminds me of one of my favorite quotes 02:24.742 --> 02:26.970 by Benjamin Franklin , and that is , if 02:26.970 --> 02:28.914 you fail to prepare , then you can 02:28.914 --> 02:31.137 prepare to fail . So what this exercise 02:31.137 --> 02:33.880 is doing for all participants whether 02:33.880 --> 02:36.720 internationals or state partners , is , 02:37.020 --> 02:39.187 uh , fostering an environment where we 02:39.187 --> 02:41.880 can make necessary connections . Also 02:41.880 --> 02:44.047 it is equipping us with the skills and 02:44.047 --> 02:46.269 the knowledge that we'll need to defend 02:46.269 --> 02:48.436 any escalating cyber threats , whether 02:48.436 --> 02:50.602 those be domestic or internationally . 02:50.660 --> 02:52.604 I would say my job has become more 02:52.604 --> 02:54.827 complex and integrated into the broader 02:54.850 --> 02:57.740 geopolitical strategies we're no longer 02:57.740 --> 03:01.210 just responding to lone actors now it's 03:01.210 --> 03:03.690 more nation threats and advanced 03:03.690 --> 03:05.809 persistent threats that are attacking 03:05.809 --> 03:07.976 us and we're constantly monitoring for 03:07.976 --> 03:10.110 these threats . This is my first year 03:10.110 --> 03:12.277 here as I've said I've not been a part 03:12.277 --> 03:14.221 of this , so these people that are 03:14.221 --> 03:16.110 coming in with all these years of 03:16.110 --> 03:18.110 experience , especially on red team 03:18.110 --> 03:20.110 side , we know some of the people , 03:20.110 --> 03:22.332 they have a wealth of knowledge . We're 03:22.332 --> 03:22.190 gonna be attacked by things we haven't 03:22.190 --> 03:24.190 even seen before and have to figure 03:24.190 --> 03:26.246 them out , and I'm super excited for 03:26.246 --> 03:28.301 the challenge , but at the same time 03:28.301 --> 03:30.412 that stress level that's gonna hit us 03:30.412 --> 03:32.580 from that to not know what to look 03:32.580 --> 03:35.350 forward to . It's it's stress but it's 03:35.350 --> 03:37.710 exciting . We're gonna see a few people 03:37.710 --> 03:39.877 running around like chicken with their 03:39.877 --> 03:42.830 heads cut off like it's gonna be very 03:42.830 --> 03:45.052 fast paced . We're all gonna be running 03:45.052 --> 03:47.350 on all cylinders making sure that we 03:47.350 --> 03:49.669 are doing what we're supposed to . And 03:49.669 --> 03:51.447 at the same time we're gonna be 03:51.447 --> 03:53.558 learning we're gonna be learning that 03:53.558 --> 03:55.613 just as fast pace like as soon as we 03:55.613 --> 03:54.949 get a hold of something we're gonna 03:54.949 --> 03:57.005 have to run with it , move with it , 03:57.470 --> 04:00.190 and accomplish the mission . The one 04:00.190 --> 04:02.110 thing I want people to know about 04:02.110 --> 04:05.610 CyberShield is It's an opportunity that 04:05.610 --> 04:07.499 you'll probably never get in your 04:07.499 --> 04:09.449 military career to learn how our 04:09.449 --> 04:11.770 enemies work and to kind of get in the 04:11.770 --> 04:14.750 mindset of how do we really protect 04:14.750 --> 04:18.059 these networks and the members here 04:18.059 --> 04:20.170 both on the red and blue team kind of 04:20.170 --> 04:22.281 have that opportunity because you not 04:22.281 --> 04:24.448 only get experts from around the world 04:24.448 --> 04:27.130 here , but you also have novices who , 04:27.140 --> 04:29.140 like myself , it's their first time 04:29.140 --> 04:31.251 here and you take all of that outside 04:31.251 --> 04:33.418 experience and you bring it all to the 04:33.418 --> 04:35.529 fight . And that's what we're here to 04:35.529 --> 04:34.459 do .